Prof. Dr. med. Jens Peter Klussmann is Director of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at the University Hospital of Cologne. He studied medicine in Düsseldorf and Cologne (graduating summa cum laude) and completed his specialist training in Cologne, with research stays at the Sir Albert Sakzewski Virus Research Centre in Brisbane and the University of Iowa. In 2004, he habilitated with work on HPV diagnostics in head and neck cancer. From 2009 to 2018, he was Chair and Director in Giessen before returning to Cologne in 2018. Prof. Klussmann is a leading expert in HPV-associated head and neck cancer and has published over 500 scientific papers. He chairs the German Working Group Otolaryngology–Oncology of the German Cancer Society, is a member of numerous professional societies, and was elected to the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina in 2023. His research focuses on molecular oncology, biomarker development, and personalized treatment approaches for head and neck tumors.

Francesco Bussu, MD, PhD, is Full Professor of Otorhinolaryngology at the University of Sassari, Italy, where he also serves as Director of the ENT Department and Head of the Residency Training Program. He is a senior consultant head and neck surgeon with extensive expertise in laryngeal and upper aerodigestive tract oncology.

Prof. Bussu’s clinical and scientific activity is primarily focused on the multidisciplinary management of head and neck cancers, with particular emphasis on laryngeal cancer, functional organ-preservation strategies, and surgical decision-making balancing oncological radicality and quality of life. He has long-standing experience in total laryngectomy, open partial laryngectomies, and complex salvage surgery, as well as in post-laryngectomy voice rehabilitation, including tracheoesophageal puncture and voice prosthesis management.

He is internationally recognized for his work on rare and site-specific head and neck malignancies, brachytherapy and interventional radiotherapy in head and neck cancer, and advanced diagnostic pathways integrating imaging, ultrasound-guided sampling, and multidisciplinary tumor boards. Prof. Bussu has authored and co-authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications in international journals and has contributed to several multicenter studies and consensus papers in head and neck oncology.

Prof. Bussu is actively involved in international scientific societies and regularly serves as invited speaker, panelist, and moderator at major international conferences. He collaborates with several European reference centers and research networks and is involved in national and EU-funded research projects focusing on precision oncology, functional outcomes, and innovation in head and neck cancer care.

His academic and clinical philosophy is centered on individualized treatment planning, aiming to optimize oncological outcomes while preserving function whenever safely possible, and on the dissemination of advanced surgical and multidisciplinary approaches through teaching, mentorship, and international collaboration.